Beto O'Rourke

Campaign reports pulling in $6.1M, just ahead of Bernie Sanders

(Newser) -
When he ran against Ted Cruz for the Senate, Beto O'Rourke generated a huge amount of support from grass-roots fundraising. As a presidential candidate, he appears to be starting off the same way. O'Rourke's campaign said Monday he had raised $6.1 million in the first 24...
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O'Rourke says criticism toward him was 'right on'

(Newser) -
Democratic presidential contender Beto O'Rourke on Friday acknowledged making mistakes as a teen and as a candidate, responding to criticism of his campaign rhetoric toward his wife, as well as writings he produced online when he was young. During a taping of the Political Party Live podcast in Cedar...
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Presidential contender was definitely animated in his announcement clip

(Newser) -
Beto O'Rourke is running for president —and a conversation on what the New York Times calls "an age-old trope in American political theater" has been rebooted. That trope would be the "silent, supportive wife," inspired by his spouse, Amy, in the video announcing O'Rourke'...
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Democrat says he wants to 'rise above pettiness'

(Newser) -
If President Trump faces Beto O'Rourke in the general election, he apparently has two lines of attack ready: The Texan's hands and name. The president mocked the Democrat, who announced his candidacy in a video Thursday, for moving his hands too much, Politico reports. "I've never...
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He confirms his candidacy via text message

(Newser) -
Beto O'Rourke, who said weeks ago that he had made a decision on running for president in 2020, has now decided to share that decision with the world. The Democrat confirmed in a text message to El Paso station KTSM that he plans to enter the race, saying his...
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Former Texas congressman says he'll let us know about his political future 'soon'

(Newser) -
Texas constituents may be disappointed to hear that, after trying to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, Beto O'Rourke won't be trying the same against Sen. John Cornyn in 2020. That's what sources said to be "close" to the former Democratic congressman told the Dallas Morning ...
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O'Rourke still expects to make decision on whether to run for president, Senate this month

(Newser) -
Beto O'Rourke says he hasn't ruled out being a 2020 vice presidential candidate, even as he plans to decide in the next 10 days if he'll seek the presidency himself. Answering a question in Spanish about possibly being another candidate's running mate after an El Paso...
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'I say that may be the end of his presidential bid,' says the president

(Newser) -
President Trump and Beto O'Rourke held dueling rallies across the street from each other—and across the Rio Grande from Mexico—in El Paso on Monday night. Both men addressed the border wall issue, with Trump, at his first rally of the year, speaking under signs that read "...
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O'Rourke taped an interview with Winfrey Tuesday

(Newser) -
Breaking months of near-silence about his political future, Democrat Beto O'Rourke said Tuesday that he would announce his decision about a 2020 presidential run "before the end of the month" and suggested he's leaning toward it, the AP reports. The former Texas congressman, who found political stardom...
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Former Maryland governor endorses Beto O'Rourke

(Newser) -
Martin O'Malley, who staged his own "long-shot presidential" campaign, as he calls it, in 2016, reveals his pick for 2020: Beto O'Rourke. In a Des Moines Register column, the former governor of Maryland says he hopes the former Democratic congressman who staged a "courageous run for...
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Pundits weigh in

(Newser) -
Beto O'Rourke lost to Ted Cruz, but the elegies for the 46-year-old are in many cases reading a lot more like a 2020 presidential pitch. What's being said about the Texas Democrat's loss and the future of both the candidate and the party in the state:

GOP wins key races in Tennessee, Texas, Indiana, Missouri

(Newser) -
Republicans will keep control of the Senate for at least another two years—both CNN and the AP have called it. The GOP went into Tuesday's midterms with a 51-49 advantage, and the party appears to be on track to actually increase that margin. The bad news began early...
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Texas Republican will keep his seat

(Newser) -
It was close, but Ted Cruz will keep his Senate seat in Texas. The Republican defeated Democrat Beto O'Rourke Tuesday, reports CNN . O'Rourke jumped out to an early lead in returns, but the lead then went back and forth throughout the night. Cruz, though, eventually dashed Democrats' hopes...
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But Texas senator swings right back

(Newser) -
Beto O'Rourke was relatively reserved in his first debate against Sen. Ted Cruz last month, the New York Times notes. In Tuesday night's debate in San Antonio, however: The congressman was "sharper and edgier," and the Hill notes that "seasoned debater" Cruz, whose Texas Senate...
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He raises $31.8M in 3 months in tight race against Ted Cruz

(Newser) -
Small-dollar donations have been the hallmark of the campaign of US Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke, who hasn't accepted PAC money in his attempt to grab Ted Cruz's Texas Senate seat. But like snowflakes that form an avalanche, all those more modest donations have converged to become what...
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Singer will perform in Texas at Beto O'Rourke rally, Nelson's first public show for a political candidate

(Newser) -
A free Willie Nelson concert in the heart of the Lone Star State seems like something that would attract fans of all political stripes, but there's a good chance the Sept. 29 event will feature a largely left-leaning crowd. That's because the country crooner is headlining a "...
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(Newser) -
There's been a lot of water under the bridge since Donald Trump and Ted Cruz were battling it out for the Republican nomination—but David Hogg is among those trying to make sure people remember the clash. The Parkland school shooting survivor has helped activists in Texas raise thousands...
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Challenger O'Rourke's national profile is growing, thanks in part to his old days in a band

(Newser) -
The race between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke in Texas is emerging as one of the must-watch races of the midterms. Cruz, of course, is the Republican incumbent hoping to keep his Senate seat, while O'Rourke is a 45-year-old three-term congressman mounting a surprisingly strong challenge. A new...
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